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WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s first supervised drug consumption site could be open within a few weeks, even as some nearby residents continue to oppose the idea.
The NDP government said Thursday it is setting up a temporary mobile structure at the site in central Winnipeg, while work continues on an existing building and getting federal approval for a permanent operation.
“For two and a half years, we’ve been trying to set up a site,” Bernadette Smith, the minister for addictions, told reporters.
“This is the fastest way we can get one set up, so we’re going to be moving with our partners to set one up as quickly as possible.”
The province has opted to use a federal provision that allows provinces to run temporary sites, officially called urgent public health need sites, without formal approval from Ottawa. A full, permanent operation with federal approval could be up and running by next winter, Smith said.
The NDP government, in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, submitted a licensing request with Health Canada in 2024 for a site at 200 Disraeli Freeway, in the core area of Winnipeg.
The idea quickly ran into opposition from many local residents, who said the location was too close to schools, a child-care centre and some homes.
The province backtracked and announced a new location, several blocks away at 366 Henry Ave., last December. The site is farther from any school and the area is less residential.
But there are some homes, a restaurant and other businesses not far away. Some business owners and residents have opposed the new site, and have said the government has not provided any guarantees about security, access by minors and other issues.
“The government has not addressed any — and I stress any — of the community’s concerns about safety and management of the site,” Ed Gallos, owner of Master Roofing, said Thursday. His business is adjacent to the planned consumption site.
The site would not provide drugs for users, but would offer an indoor space where users could inject drugs under the eye of staff who could prevent overdoses and help guide addicts toward treatment.
Smith said people are currently using drugs, unsupervised, in public areas, so the new facility is a better option.
She promised beefed-up security around the site, including foot patrols.
“We’re working closely with police,” she said.
Gallos said he is not convinced.
“It’s been a frustrating experience.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2026.
Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
